My Dear Friend!
You write that I rage unduly with regard to recrudescence of Stalinism in Russia. You write I’d better be concerned about revivification of Nazism in Ukraine. I believe you were the first to write about Nazism in my country. Before you would only use the words «the right» and «the extreme right». If the word «Nazism» is not accidental on your list then I may only regret that propaganda affects even such a nice and intellectual young woman as you.
I will come back to the question of «Nazism in Ukraine» later.
You say there are no mass repressions in Russian Federation. In the Stalin’s perception of execution of hundreds of thousands (plus millions – in the camps), there are no repressions. Everything is ready to carry them out though – technologies, personnel. There is just no need for them. The main goal of Stalin’s repressions as that of any other terror is to generate fear among the population and nip the very thought of protesting in the bud.
Three people taken out from one entranceway, four people – from another… Then rumours do it. People are afraid to move. In the present Russian Federation, mass media play the role of “a great terror” – particularly the TV.
It is enough to repress ten people and expressively announce that repression through mass media – and everyone is already scared. It is also enough to have some “escapee-traitors” killed under the doubtful circumstances – everyone is scared.
Why would they need mass public executions? Every minute TV reminds the population of the inevitable retribution. I quite often use the expression “advance fear”.
There seems nothing to be afraid of. Nevertheless, the very possibility of unsafety broadcasted by means of the mass media generates fear.
According to the unwritten laws of psychology (why unwritten though? Stockholm Syndrome. Identification with Aggressor) fear generates commitment. And deprivation generates commitment. At the bottom of this commitment, there is a betrayal.
Normally when we hear the word «betrayal», it is about a person or a group of people who betray their country. In this case, the betrayal is of a much larger scale – the government betrays its people.
I would like to explain in details what universal psychological mechanisms your propaganda consciously or unconsciously uses. Just to think of attributing to others what is going down at your place. It is projection and you know that. What about the transformation into the opposite?
That would rather be a subject for a lecture on political psychology than for a personal correspondence where we talk about civil issues. How is my godson doing?
Love,
Yours
Borya